


Love is a Combat Zone

by scribethatscribbles



Category: Fallout (Video Games), Fallout 4
Genre: Alternate Universe, Eventual Smut, F/F, Secret Relationship, not a very slow burn, piper is an investigative reporter, what if piper found Cait at the combat zone
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-04-09
Updated: 2018-04-09
Packaged: 2019-04-20 11:17:52
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,065
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14259804
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/scribethatscribbles/pseuds/scribethatscribbles
Summary: Cait is drowning in a sea of chems, booze, and blood. Her benevolent boss, Tommy Lonegan is concerned about her addictions and wants a new life for her outside of the Combat Zone.Enter Piper Wright: an investigative reporter writing a story about Raider cage fights. When Tommy announces his retirement and offers Cait's contract to the highest bidder, Piper impulsively makes a purchase.----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Lonegan makes Piper promise to take care of Cait and help the fighter with her addiction to the best of her ability. There's only one problem: owning another person is illegal in Diamond City. The cunning reporter decides that the best solution is for the two women to masquerade as lovers under the public eye. Let's just say there isn't much acting... but there is plenty of something else (wink).Disclaimer: All characters/locations belong to Bethesda.





	1. The Combat Zone

**Author's Note:**

> Hey guys I'm taking requests right now for several fandoms so check the list in my bio and send me your requests/messages to scribethatscribbles@gmail.com! Thanks for reading and comment whatever you'd like.

It was a funny thing, really. Psycho was supposed to increase your strength and send you charging into the enemy, but Cait could do that sober. She loved the sound of bones crunching under her heel. To her, every glare was a challenge; she bested men twice her size in the arena, so what was stopping her from pummeling a stray raider whenever it struck her fancy? The fiery redhead possessed quite a temper and was in a habit of shooting first and asking questions later. After being sold into slavery by her parents as a child, she led a hard life. Psycho* became her escape and subsequently her addiction. After murdering her parents and fighting her way across the Wasteland, she arrived at the Combat Zone in Boston, where owner Tommy Lonegan hired her as a cage fighter. He was a rough but benevolent man who always saw the possibility for good within her. 

Every day began the same way: a bottle of gin and a lecture from Tommy. "Listen, Cait, try not to just throw yourself at your opponent. Pace yourself; give the audience a good show." The Irish woman rolled her eyes. "Why dontcha shut yer yapper? I win ev'ry time, lest I'd be dead and you'd be broke." Lonegan sighed. "Just go put on your gear and get ready for the first fight." His eyes softened as he placed a weathered hand on her shoulder. "My money's always on you, little bird. Give 'em hell." Tommy exited the room, leaving Cait with her thoughts. She sat down in a rickety wooden chair and grabbed a baby blue cooler that sat near her feet. She placed it on her lap and opened it with shaking hands. A bead of sweat rolled down her temple. She hated how badly she needed it. She hated herself for not being strong enough to go without it. Cait brought the psycho to her forearm and unceremoniously jammed it into her flesh. She let out a small whimper; no matter how many times she used, the immediate pain never hurt any less. "Just need a quick breather and I'll be ready to go." she said to herself. Bracing herself with the edge of the table before her, she shakily stood up and ran her hands through her hair. Time for another round in this shite hole of an arena.

~

Piper was beginning to regret her decision to do some investigative reporting at the Combat Zone. Nat* had insisted she go incognito, and the leather raider gear was chaffing her something fierce. She was more concerned, however, by the steel spikes jutting every which way from her shoulder pads; she had come very close to putting her eye out three times today. But it was all worth it. This story would finally make Diamond City pick up Public Occurrences* again. It had been a slow year in the city, with few stories of any substance to write about. Ever heard of 'sacrifice for one's art'? Piper understood the meaning of sacrifice when it came to her beloved newspaper. Her father had been killed because of raiders, and now she was walking among the terrorists who hurt so many in the Common Wealth. She would be glad to be done with this piece.

The dark headed woman pushed her way through the horde to get a better view of the arena. She was reporting on the sick entertainment the savages revealed in when they weren't busy pillaging and killing. Piper took her seat and waited for the fights to begin. A very intoxicated raider tripped getting to the seat next to hers and spilled his liquor all over the surprised reporter. "What the hell?!" Piper exclaimed, grabbing the now empty bottle and flinging it at the man's unprotected skull, knocking him unconscious. Piper's hand flew to her mouth, filled with dread at the very real chance of her being discovered now that she had rendered one of the raiders unconscious. No-one seemed to mind, though; in fact, two other raiders quickly chugged their drinks and threw their newly empty bottles at their unconscious cohort. Ok. I guess I'm good after all... I'm just going to go sit over here now. Piper got up and moved several seats down the row, trying to be as inconspicuous as possible.

~

"AND NOW, YOU BUNCH OF ASSHOLES," the gruff announcer boomed. "GET READY FOR A FEISTY REDHEAD WITH TITS I WOULD KILL FOR... VERSES RIPPER! HE'S ONE NASTY MOTHERFUCKER!"

~

"Ripper looks like a crazy motherfucker, that's for sure." Cait thought as she sized up her opponent from a safe distance across the arena. The beast of a man was 6'5 and roughly weighed 270. He wore only a loincloth and leather wrist cuffs with razorblades sewn into them. If she could avoid the blades long enough to hit all of his soft spots, Cait had a decent chance at winning. But what if she just stopped fighting? What if she let Ripper cut her up? Then she'd finally be done with this hellish world. "No, I've got teh win. No losin' in this game."

The fighters stopped circling each other and began walking to the center of the arena. Ripper was big and powerful, but he was slow. Cait was scrappy and light on her feet. Ripper threw aside all pretense and lunged at Cait, throwing his full weight at her. Her eyes grew wide and she tumbled to the right, narrowly missing his hulking form as he careened into the arena wall. The redhead took this opportunity to jump onto his back and start pummeling his head with her fists. Bleeding, Ripper grunted and grabbed at his back with a large hand, finding Cait's left leg. He snatched the woman off of him like a pesky child and flung her to the ground a few feet away. 

Cait stayed down for a four-count, gasping to catch the breath that had been knocked out of her. She felt a great dull pain in her right side--probably bruised a couple ribs. Resolved to keep fighting, Cait got up, wiping blood from a fresh gash on her face where Ripper's blades grazed her. Ripper took her getting up as a challenge, and charged her once more. Cait left to the side, got down low, and side-swept the running mammoth, easily downing him. His momentum flew him into the arena wall, head-first. Before he could get up, Cait straddled his thick neck, bringing his limp hand up to his neck and swiped it across his jugular. His body convulsed wile he regained consciousness as he rapidly lost blood. In a moment, Ripper was dead, and Cait was the victor. She stood up, wiping her bloody hands on the corpse's loincloth, and strolled to the center of the arena. Tommy entered the arena and met her there, grabbing her her hand and raising it up in victory. He leaned over to her and said in a low, remorseful voice, "I'm sorry, little bird." Confusion flitted across Cait's mind. She had won. That's what Tommy wanted. What could be wrong?

~

The intercom boomed. "A BEAUTIFUL FIGHT. THE RIPPER WAS NO MATCH FOR THE LITTLE BITCH. I KNOW WE ARE ALL FUCKED UP AFTER THAT LAST FIGHT, BUT I HAVE SOME BAD NEWS. OUR MAN TOMMY IS RETIRING FROM THE ARENA. THE OL' BASTARD HAS HAD ENOUGH OF TRYING TO RANGLE HIS FIGHTER'S EVERY NIGHT. WE'LL MISS YOU, LONEGAN, YOU SON OF A BITCH!" He continued, "NOW, I KNOW WHAT Y'ALL ARE THINKING. 'WHAT OF THE FIGHTERS?' TOMMY IS WILLING TO HEAR OFFERS STARTING RIGHT NOW! WHO WANTS THIS SEXY IRISH BITCH? WHO WILL PAY THE MOST?"

~

Piper was shaking. The woman on the arena floor had just beaten the opposing champion. She had put on a show any raider could ask for. She was strong, yet beautiful. Yet standing there next to her now-former owner, she looked terrified. Piper new the look in the redhead's eyes. She had seen it in her reflection and in her sister's eyes: loss. In that moment, Piper made a decision. She went down to the edge of the arena with the other potential buyers and pushed her way to the front. Her eyes met Tommy's and held their gaze as she spoke directly to him in all the chaos. "900 caps. I've got them right here. I want her." Tommy seemed to ponder this, and pensively scratched his grizzled chin. "You going to take care of her? I don't want her going to anyone else after you." the man said in a solemn tone. Piper gave an earnest nod and glanced at the woman she was about to purchase. "What's her name?" Tommy took a sudden interest in his shoes. "Cait. She's about 5'6, 135 pounds, and is 26 years old." He paused, meeting Piper's eyes again, "She's yours now. Take care of her, lady. She's better than any raider than I ever ran with." With that, he brushed away a tear pooling his eye and pushed Cait towards her new owner. Lonegan looked wistfully at Cait one last time before exiting through a door on the arena wall.


	2. What's the Plan?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Note from the author: There's a little something-something at the end of this one. The next chapter will be quite spicy, I promise. Like if you like! -HS

Piper and Cait were left with each other. How is one supposed to talk to one's newly purchased Raider fighter? Piper had no clue. The girl she stood facing looked so dejected, the reported couldn't help but reach out a hand to play on her shoulder. "Hey, let's get out of here. It's not safe and I've got to get back home." Cait lifted her head and met Piper's eyes for the first time, "Just because you own me, doesn't mean we're friends." And with that, she shrugged off Piper's hand. 

~

Tommy selling her to this complete stranger felt worse than anything she had experienced in the arena. The man had been her home for years; he was almost a father to her. Now, she knew he was no different that the other Raiders: selfish and only looking to make a cap. Her whole world had been turned upside down in an instant. Who even is this chick? She speaks teh well to be a Raider, and the armor she's wearin' looks downrigh' funny on her. No, this girl isn't a Raider. But if she isn't a Raider, then what the hell was she doing at the Combat Zone buying her? Cait didn't get a bad feeling about Piper, but that alone could not curb her uneasiness with her new owner. 

The two of them set out towards Piper's home: Diamond City. It was quite the tea across the Common Wealth. The weather was fair but the wild life was a great hinderance. It was a good thing Cait brought along her baseball bat, because the bloatflies were especially aggressive this season. Between the bat and Piper's 10mm pistol, they were able to keep the bugs at bay as they travelled. After six hours of walking, they decided to make camp. Piper rolled out a sleeping bag while Cait worked on making a fire. "Here, I've got some Instamash* for us." Piper said sweetly. "It isn't much, but I wasn't anticipating another mouth to feed." Piper passed the meal to Cait, who hungrily grabbed it and started chowing down. She was starving. She hadn't eaten since dinner the night before, and the only other thing in her system was alcohol and chems. 

Cait stared into the fire, watching the light dance across the brush around them. Her peripheral vision caught on some movement to the left of her. The Irish woman's cheeks caught fire as she watched the brunette before her. Piper's leather armor was gone, and she was left only in a harness*. She shook out her hair, letting the soft brown locks breathe in the night air. When she bent over to get a change of clothes from a bag, Cait was given quite a view. Back turned, Piper undid the buckles on the harness and gracefully slid it down over her curves. After stepping out of the leather straps, she then slipped on some simple brown pants and a cream shirt, along with a pair of combat boots. When she turned around to face Cait, the redhead found herself staring at her new owner. "Cait, you ok?" Piper asked, concerned. Cait swallowed, "Um, yeah. Nothin' to werry about." She felt a fresh blush light her cheeks and quickly looked down, taking a great interest in her boots. Piper shrugged the awkwardness and sat down on the sleeping bag. She gave the spot next to her a little pat and smiled at Cait. The Raider understood what was wanted and joined the girl on the pallet. Piper turned towards Cait and placed a hand on hers. "Listen, Cait, I'm sure this isn't at all what you wanted, but I'd like to try and make whatever 'this' is, work." She looked deeply into Cait's eyes. "We have one problem, though. Owning another person is illegal in Diamond City, so this kind of relationship isn't going to work. In order to mask your identity and protect my citizenship, we are going to have to masquerade as lovers." Cait felt her jaw drop but was unable to replace it as she processed what she just heard. All Cait felt was the heat in her cheeks and a great feeling of confusion coupled with discomfort. All she saw when she gazed at Piper was resolve and kindness. "Here's the story: I infiltrated the Raiders while doing some investigative reporting when I met you. We fell in love and I decided to take you away with me to Diamond City. I guarantee you, people will eat it up and no-one will question it if we really sell it." It made some sense but Cait harbored doubts. "Why couldn't we just be friends 'nstead of lovers?" Piper studied her companion for a few seconds before answering, "It would be much less believable. We can sell love-struck but not fast friends between a Raider and a city reporter. Love conquers all, ya know." Cait nodded in reluctant understanding. 

~

What am I doing?? Piper thought. This was insane. She was going to have to live a sham life in order to take in some Raider girl she pitied back in the Combat Zone. But if she hadn't bought her, some other fiend would have and done who knows what with her. This was the only good solution. She could have turned Cait out on her own after buying her, but she had been sincere whence promised Tommy she would take care of his little bird. Piper had had a few suitors through the years, so Cait's sudden relations with her wouldn't be unfathomable by her sister or the community. What will Nat think? Do I tell her the truth and risk someone else knowing, or do I maintain the facade even around her? She always put Nat first when it came to her actions and their subsequent consequences. 

The conclusion Piper came to was this: she and Cait would maintain that they were lovers until Piper could find a more permanent solution. Now, she just had to get into character and make Cait as comfortable as possible. "Ok, so we might as well start building up our act now. This is inevitably going to be awkward, but we need to look natural in order to convince the very skeptical people of Diamond City." Piper swallowed and tentatively reached out a shaky hand to brush Cait's cheek, eyes not wavering from the electric gaze the women were entrapped in. Heart beating rapidly, she closed the gap between them and met Cait's lips in a gentle kiss. After a few seconds that felt like years, Piper pulled away with a little reluctance that she would address later. Her eyes immediately went to Cait's, searching fro a glimmer of what the girl was feeling after such an intimate encounter. What she found was the same intensity and uncertainty that she was feeling. They were both on the edge of a cliff, wanting to jump but afraid of the free-fall. Cait book their gaze to glance at the pale pink lips before her. Piper knew what she wanted; she craved the same. Without further pretense or discussion, both travelers moved in accordance with the desire they shared. 

~

As their mouths collided, Cait's right hand went into Piper's dark locks while the other wrapped around her back to pull her closer. Piper's arms were draped over Cait's shoulders as the two shifted, melting into each other's embrace. Piper's mind was fizzled and she tried to clear her head with little success. Suddenly, she felt Cait's tongue on her lower lip, asking for entrance. Almost drunkenly, she obliged, giddy in anticipation of deepening the kiss that was driving her mad. Their tongues met in Piper's mouth and began an intrepid dance that filled both girls with lust. Cait took Piper's bottom lip gently into her mouth and sucked. Her eyes fluttered open in time to see the face of a bewitched Piper as the redhead slowly drew back, letting her teeth graze a slightly swollen lip. Piper's eyes opened and the two girls locked eyes. The now-messy haired brunette made a quick swipe over her mouth with the back of her hand while Cait offered a smug smile. "Well, whadya' think?" Piper's cheeks flushed a deep red. "I think we won't have trouble convincing anyone. Hell, I was convinced." The tension between the two was palpable as they sat quietly regarding each other. The light and warmth of the fire were fading as the moon rose nighter in the sky. Piper shifted and smiled sheepishly at Cait. "It's starting to get rather cool out here." she paused, analyzing the look Cait was giving her. Piper's next words were carefully measured. "I have some extra room in my sleeping bag if you don't mind the nearness. A red eyebrow raised in response as Cait considered the offer. "Ah, you den' have ta worry over me none." Cait drawled, voice dripping with feigned self-disregard. Piper hurriedly replied. "Oh, you so wouldn't be. You'd be keeping me as warm as I'll be keeping you." A mischievous gleam lit Cait's eyes. "I think I can do better than keep ya warm... I think I can make ya hot."


End file.
